Complexity of zoning management in biosphere reserves: the case of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in DRC

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-67
Author(s):  
D.D. Kipute ◽  
S.W. Mampeta ◽  
J-M.M. Kahindo ◽  
U.D.M. Lelo ◽  
R. Sufo Kankeu ◽  
...  

Riparian communities activities threaten conservation in biosphere reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (YBR) is no exception to this degradation. Thus, the objective of the presents study was to elucidate the local factors underlying the high pressure on natural resources and analyze the complexity of biosphere reserve zoning management using an interdisciplinary approach combining document review, field surveys and semi-structured interviews.<br/> Our results revealed that the zoning applied to the YBR did not take into account social dynamics. With population growth, the riparian community is doomed to remain in restricted areas, leading to over-exploitation of the space and land degradation, forcing the population to travel long distances to reach fertile plots into the protected area. Also, the lack of employment and the absence of participatory zoning also exacerbate tensions between the manager and the riparian community. For an effective management of the YBR, political authorities should become more involved in the participatory zoning of conservation areas and village exploitations. In addition, they should improve farming techniques to mitigate soil degradation.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 33-54
Author(s):  
Justin Kyale Koy ◽  
Alphonse Maindo Monga Ngonga ◽  
D. Andrew Wardell

The participation of local communities in the governance of protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo is challenged by several external and local factors. This article aims to understand the representation of local communities and factors that influence their participation in the governance of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve. Three principal sources of information (archival records, focus group and semi-structured interviews) were used to collect data. The results indicate a top-down participatory approach. The cumulative failure of several projects in the context of local development has led to different perceptions by local communities of their role in the participative governance of Yangambi Biosphere Reserve. Initiatives in participatory management and local development only function during the lifetime of externally-funded projects when initiators are present in the intervention area. The results call into question formal claims made by both conservation projects and the Congolese government regarding the actual participation of local communities in the governance of Biosphere Reserves. Furthermore, although Biosphere Reserves in DRC are recognized as part of the national network of protected areas since 2002, their management is still not aligned to either the Seville Strategy or the statutory framework of the world network of Biosphere Reserves. To achieve this, local development initiatives need to focus on poverty alleviation (through the diversification of income sources, entrepreneurship, farmer training and the creation of employment opportunities) and a better understanding of local practices and cultures in the design of such projects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Estrada-Castillón ◽  
José Ángel Villarreal-Quintanilla ◽  
Juan Antonio Encina-Domínguez ◽  
Enrique Jurado-Ybarra ◽  
Luis Gerardo Cuéllar-Rodríguez ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cuatrociénegas, part of the Chihuahuan Desert, is a region of unique biological, geological, geographical, and evolutionary importance. Its current population is mestizo; nevertheless, it has high national historical, cultural, and touristic relevance in Mexico. It has been cataloged as nationally significant for its flora and fauna by Mexican law, as well as being designated a High Protection site by the World Wildlife Fund and UNESCO. Because of its diverse and complex biological and sociocultural characteristics, we considered it important to determine, identify, and analyze various aspects of the traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and practices in this region. Methods Between 2016 and 2019, seven field trips were made to document the knowledge and use of flora. Cuatrociénegas is a protected area, collecting botanical material is regulated, so specimens were photographed and collected in neighboring communities, and in public and private gardens. Later permission was obtained to complete the collection of specimens (2019–2020). The plants were identified and entered into the flora database of the state of Coahuila, and deposited in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Forest Sciences, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico. One hundred ten local residents (50 men and 60 women), aged between 27 and 91 years, were interviewed (semi-structured interviews). The cultural importance of ethnobotanical resources (cultural significance index) and its significance with respect to ethnobotanical richness in other Biosphere Reserves in Mexico (Mann-Whitney test), and similarities in the diversity of exotic species (Sørensen index) were studied. Results and discussion The ethnobotanical information registers 158 species and 132 genera in 57 vascular and non-vascular families, documenting a greater knowledge and use of cultivated species (84) with respect to wild species (74). The diversity of plants reported is compared to other ethnobotanical studies carried out in Mexican Biosphere Reserves. These results are highly relevant, in spite of unique exotic species. The people local pay special attention to medicinal and ornamental plants. The species that presented the highest use values are Larrea tridentata, Jatropha dioica, and Machaeranthera pinnatifida, three species characteristic of the desert region. Conclusions The particular diversity of wild flora in Cuatrociénegas Valley, combined with the varied introduced flora, is an important multifunctional resource. Special attention to introduced species is associated with harvesting use restrictions in the protected area as well as the high value of ornamental species that are difficult to maintain in desert areas. The extensive use of ethnobotanical knowledge is an example that biocultural diversity (at the conceptual level) is also strongly associated with socio-ecological systems incorporating mestizo groups and semi-urban rural landscapes, thus ceasing to be an exclusive focus of indigenous communities and regions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Mannevuo ◽  
Jenni M Rinne ◽  
Isak Vento

AbstractPoliticians’ work pressure is gaining more attention in parliamentary studies. To participate in the discussion about governing under pressure, this article offers an interdisciplinary approach to investigate how representatives navigate within a flexible, limitless work culture. This article presents a new inquiry to re-examine contemporary political agency by combining cultural studies theories with empirical insights in Nordic countries. By analysing 52 semi-structured interviews with MPs in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, the study finds that politics attracts people who want to change the world, but these attributes may initiate a vicious cycle, taking the form of psychological strain.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2110481
Author(s):  
Gabriel Kalombe Kyomba ◽  
Joêl Nkiama Numbi Konde ◽  
Diafuka Saila-Ngita ◽  
Thomas Kuanda Solo ◽  
Guillaume Mbela Kiyombo

Incineration is the most used healthcare waste (HCW) disposal method. Disease outbreaks due to Ebola virus and SARS-CoV2 require attention to HCW management to avoid pathogens spread and spillover. This study describes HCW management prior to incineration and hospital incinerators performance by analysing bottom ashes from hospitals in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. We used semi-structured interviews to capture information on pre-incineration waste management and analysed the chemical composition of 27 samples of incinerator bottom ashes using the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. Neither sorting nor waste management measures were applied at hospitals surveyed. Incinerator operators were poorly equipped and their knowledge was limited. The bottom ash concentrations of cadmium, chromium, nickel and lead ranged between 0.61–10.44, 40.15–737.01, 9.11–97.55 and 16.37–240.03 mg kg−1, respectively. Compared to Chinese incinerator performance, the concentrations of some elements were found to be lower than those from China. This discrepancy may be explained by the difference in the composition of HCW. The authors conclude that health care waste in Kinshasa hospitals is poorly managed, higher concentrations of heavy metals are found in incinerator bottom ashes and the incinerators quality is poor. They recommend the strict application of infection prevention control measures, the training of incinerator operators and the use of high-performance incinerators.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 911 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Leonardo Martínez-Torres ◽  
Alicia Castillo ◽  
M. Isabel Ramírez ◽  
Diego R. Pérez-Salicrup

The use of fire for traditional agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry is highly important to farmers in developing countries where this practice is continuously blamed as being the main cause of forest fires. That is the case in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR), Mexico, where paradoxically, little is known about the inhabitants’ traditional uses of fire. In this study we characterise fire users, describe traditional fire uses and identify the ecological and social rules involved in the use of fire in the MBBR. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews we found a robust body of knowledge among local people regarding the geophysical and ecological factors determining fire behaviour. This information is transferred orally and through everyday practices from parents to children. We identified nine types of fire uses. The most common is ‘mound burns’, which entails a process of extraction-piling-drying-burning of weeds from agricultural fields. Social rules are aimed at decreasing the risk of forest fires. Our results suggest there is a traditional fire knowledge system in the MBBR that has undergone changes and has adapted to the ecological and social reality of the region during the past few decades.


2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maisarah Makmor ◽  
Zulhabri Ismail

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a planning tool to identify, predict and evaluate potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures in the early stages of proposed projects. Although EIA has been implemented in Malaysia for over 25 years, the EIA practices have yet to achieve the parameters of effective environmental management and sustainable development. Hence, this research aims to improve the EIA process in Malaysia. Three objectives were utilised in this research which are to recognise the fundamentals of EIA process and procedures applied in Malaysia, to analyse the issues in relation to the EIA preparation and submission conducted in Malaysia and to propose a set of recommendations to further improve the current EIA process in Malaysia. Mixed methods approach was embarked composed of qualitative instruments via document review and semi-structured interviews and quantitative instrument utilising questionnaire survey. Key issues on the EIA process in Malaysia were gathered from qualitative data collected. Analysis of data collected resulted to recommendations on the key issues regarding EIA. 25 proposed recommendations to improve the EIA process were contextualised and validated via questionnaire survey. Ergo, this research established an improved EIA process in Malaysia towards sustainable development to ameliorate the EIA practices in Malaysia. 


2014 ◽  
pp. 267-279
Author(s):  
Milos Petrovic

At ministry assembly in Budapest in March 2011, republics such as Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia, were signatories of common Declaration on the preparation of the establishment of the ?Mura - Drava - Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve?(MDD-TBR). Even though this document does not have obligatory character for states that signed it, this declaration represents the obvious course these states will follow in order to improve their cooperation. Beside political, economic, cultural and other well developed forms of cooperation, a multilateral cooperation emerges within the areas of conservation, protection and improvement of flora and fauna of the Danube and rivers Drava and Mura that belong to The Danube River Basin. In this article the author provided a short review of basic international legal documents that refer to Biosphere Reserves regarding specifically the overall Danube Strategy by European Union and belonging Action Plane to Danube Strategy. The author analyzed the paramount clauses of Declaration MDD - TBR, with intention to reveal this little known document to scientific and professional public. In that sense, the principles for selecting the actual biosphere reserve have become a priority as well as the elemental objectives a biosphere reserve should accomplish and its spatial organization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Andrea Arango-Bernal

Objetivo: analizar los significados que construyen las madres de personas en condición de hemofilia, sobre ser portadoras de la enfermedad. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio cualitativo con enfoque del interaccionismo simbólico que, a través de una etnografía particularista y el uso de entrevistas semiestructuradas, observaciones y revisión documental, rescató el punto de vista de 17 madres pertenecientes a la Liga Antioqueña de Hemofílicos que participaron de manera voluntaria y residen en diferentes municipios del departamento de Antioquia. Resultados: Las participantes se reconocen a sí mismas como seres potenciales, es decir, no sólo como trasmisoras o cuidadoras de la enfermedad de sus hijos, sino como sujetos cognoscentes de su realidad dispuestas a reflexionar sobre sus aprendizajes e incorporarlos a favor de la relación consigo mismas y con los demás. Los significados más relevantes son: empezar a vivir con hemofilia, asumir la enfermedad, la familia, el cuidado y la crianza, la relación con los servicios de salud, caminando con algo que no se puede desprender y darse cuenta. Conclusiones: La salud colectiva es la posibilidad de tener un acercamiento más comprensivo al proceso salud – enfermedad – atención de los colectivos humanos, tomando en cuenta las condiciones económicas, sociales y culturales en las que estos se inscriben. La pregunta por los significados de estas madres develó el tejido de lo individual y lo colectivo, como un asunto que trasciende el plano biológico de la enfermedad y da cuenta de la construcción social en la que confluyen prácticas, saberes, imaginarios y sentimientos.Palabras Clave: Cuidadores, enfermedad crónica, hemofilia A, madresSignifi cance of being a hemophilia carrierAbstractObjective: Analyzing the meanings that mothers of people with hemophilia, build about being carriers of the disease. Materials and methods: Study based on the qualitative method supported by the approach of symbolic interaction, which through a particularistic ethnography, and the use of semi-structured interviews, observations and document review, rescued the point of view of 17 mothers belonging to the Liga Antioqueña de Hemofílicos. They participated voluntarily and reside in different municipalities of Antioquia. Results: The participants recognize themselves as potential beings, that is, not only as disseminators or carers of the illness of their children, but as cognocentes subject of their reality willing to reflect on their learning and incorporate them in favor of the relationship with herself and others. The most important meanings are: start living with hemophilia, assuming the disease, the family, the care and upbringing, relationships with health services, walking with something that can not be detached and realize. Conclusions: Collective health is the ability to have a more comprehensive approach to process health - disease - care of human groups, taking into account the economic, social and cultural conditions in which they are registered. The question of the meaning of these mothers, unveiled the tissue of the individual and the collective, as a matter that transcends the biological level of the disease and accounts for the social construction that blends practices, knowledge, imaginary and feelings.Key Words: Hemophilia A, chronic disease, mothers, caregivers. Significado de ser portadora de hemofiliaResumo                                   Objetivo: Analisar os significados construídos pelas mães de pessoas com hemofilia, sobre ser portadores da doença. Materiais e Métodos: Estudo qualitativo com foco no interacionismo simbólico, que, através de uma etnografia individualista e o uso de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, observações e revisão documental, resgatou o ponto de vista de 17 mães pertencentes à Liga Antioquia de Hemófilos que participaram voluntariamente e residem em diferentes municípios do departamento de Antioquia. Resultados: Os participantes se reconhecem como seres potenciais, ou seja, não apenas como transmissores ou cuidadores da doença de seus filhos, mas como sujeitos cognitivos de sua realidade que estão dispostos a refletir sobre sua aprendizagem e a incorporá-los em favor do relacionamento com eles mesmos e com os outros. Os significados mais relevantes são: começar a viver com hemofilia, assumir a doença, família, cuidados e educação, relacionar-se com os serviços de saúde, caminhar com algo que você não pode separar e perceber. Conclusões: A saúde coletiva é a possibilidade de ter uma abordagem mais abrangente para o processo saúde-doença-cuidado de grupos humanos, levando em consideração as condições econômicas, sociais e culturais nas quais estão registradas. A questão dos significados dessas mães revela o tecido do indivíduo e o coletivo como um problema que transcende o plano biológico da doença e explica a construção social em que as práticas, o conhecimento, o imaginário e os sentimentos convergem.Palavras-Chave: Cuidadores, doenças crônicas, hemofilia A, mães  


Author(s):  
Renu Ahuja

This case study describes processes in an urban high school, which contribute to excellence in urban pedagogy, and investigates teachers’ and educational leaders’ perceptions of the factors influencing their commitment to school success. Six themes related to excellence in urban pedagogy were identified. Data in the form of semi-structured interviews, observations, and document review de scribe a school in which the leadership strives to develop human capability at all levels through empowerment and shared decision-making. The study indicates that students’ achievement is a collective responsibility and strong instructional leadership is a key for success in urban schools. More studies may be needed to show how contextual experience of teachers and teacher’s self-efficacy are related.


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